ALAMEDA, Calif. (March 3, 2005) -- The Oakland Raiders finalized a five-year contract with free-agent running back LaMont Jordan to boost their ineffective ground game.
The Raiders confirmed they'd signed Jordan.
"He's excited about the opportunity to come in and be able to contribute on a team that he feels has the ability to get to the Super Bowl," Keels said. "He wants to be an important piece of that puzzle."
Jordan arrived in town March 2 to meet with the team, then signed his contract the morning of March 3.
Jordan, who spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets, carried 93 times for 479 yards and two touchdowns last season and also made 15 catches for 112 yards.
The Raiders are determined to revive their running game, and Jordan has been waiting to become a full-time back after playing behind Curtis Martin all his career. Jordan has a career average of 4.9 yards per carry.
Oakland rushed for only 1,295 yards on 328 carries last year. Each week, coach Norv Turner said he was committed to improving the Raiders' production on the ground, but they continued to struggle.
Finding a talented running back was one of the club's top priorities this offseason. Amos Zereoue was the team's most productive running back during the Raiders' 5-11 season, gaining 425 yards on 112 carries with three TDs -- fewer yards than Jordan produced as Martin's backup.
Tyrone Wheatley, second behind Zereoue, was released March 2, the same day the Raiders introduced star receiver Randy Moss.
